Broken(60)

While he was in the kitchen, Jocelyn looked around Cade’s house. When she’d lived on the ranch, Cade still lived in the main house. The brothers all had land set aside to build homes of their own. This was nice and cozy, no frills or fuss, exactly the way one would expect a bachelor to live. It was neat and well kept. Maybe if he added some paintings on the wall at the far corner and moved the entertainment center to the left… Wait a minute. What was she thinking? She wasn’t even sure where their relationship was heading and already she was redecorating his house.

“Do you like it?”

She jumped at the sound of his voice, clutching her heart. “You scared the hell out of me.”

Cade smiled, handed her the unopened bottle of beer. “Sorry. So what do you think of the place?”

“It’s nice. When did you have it built?”

“Not too long after you left. I wanted the house done by the time your internship was over. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

Jocelyn nearly dropped her bottle in surprise. He’d built this house with her in mind? A sense of sadness and loss pierced her heart. She ached for the lost years and the pain she’d inflicted on him. Now, she wondered if she’d done the right thing by shutting him out. Perhaps if she’d come to him all those years ago, they may have been able to find a piece of happiness.

“I’m sorry, Cade.”

He grazed her cheek with his knuckles. “It’s okay. While I can’t begin to understand what you’ve been through, I’m not angry with you. When you first came back to the ranch, I thought I was, but it turns out I was mad at myself for still having feelings for you—that is until I learned the truth.” He closed his eyes tight for a brief moment, but not before she spied the anguish within their depths. “What tears me up is how you’ve had to suffer alone. Yes, I was hurt by the things you said, but they can’t compare to what you’ve gone through. This house, this ranch, everything means nothing to me without you. Do you understand?”

Too choked with emotion to speak, Jocelyn could only nod.

Cade dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Dinner is ready. It’s nothing fancy, just some chili and cornbread.”

Relieved at the change of topic, she raised her nose and inhaled the mouth-warming aroma which filtered to her nostrils. “Mmm, smells delicious.”

A sly grin tilted the corners of his lips and that devilish twinkle that used to make her heart do somersaults entered his eyes. “It’s one of the few things I can cook besides frozen dinners.”

“I look forward to trying it.”

He led her to the small dining room table and pulled Jocelyn’s chair out for her. Cade had always been a gentleman and she saw not much had changed.

“Sit tight and I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t have a long wait before he brought out two steaming bowls of his chili and put one in front of her and the other at his place setting. He went back into the kitchen and brought back a bowl of the golden, buttery cornbread. “Would you like some cheese on your chili?”

“No thanks. This looks really good.”

He took a seat opposite of her. “Dig in. I can’t promise it’ll be as good as Gertie’s but I’ve been perfecting this recipe for a while now and I think it’s almost where I’d like it to be. Go ahead, try it.”

She lifted her spoon and scooped up a healthy portion of the meaty concoction and took a bite. “Mmm, this is really good. It’s spicy but not so overpowering where I can’t taste the other flavors.”